Combination Skin Overview

Combination skin can be really frustrating: Part of your face looks dry, while the rest of it is shiny and greasy. Fortunately, you can treat combination skin. To understand how care for it properly, you have to look at what causes oily skin and what causes dry skin.

Your skin gets oily when your sebaceous glands produce excess sebum, causing it to build up on your skin. A number of factors -- like hormones or genetics -- can trigger this process, many of which you can't control. There are, however, some oil-inducing actions you can avoid, such as using heavy, pore-clogging products, including cleansers and moisturizers [source: Syrett].

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Similarly, dry skin on your face can result from things that are out of your power -- like the weather, genetics and your age. However, you can also make your skin drier by washing too much or too harshly and by wearing hats and other accessories that chafe your face [source: New Zealand Dermatological Society].

So, while you can't change nature, you can adjust how you treat your combination skin and make your skin care routine more effective. Read on to learn how to nurture and balance out your combination skin.